The science underpinning the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) recommendation of three servings of dairy per day is thin, according to experts from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
In a February 14, 2020 WebMD.com article, Walter Willett, professor of epidemiology and nutrition at Harvard Chan School, argued that this recommendation is based on relatively small, short studies that sought to understand how much calcium the body needs to maintain proper calcium levels.
Earlier this month, Willett and David Ludwig, professor of nutrition at Harvard Chan School, co-authored a review on the risks and benefits of drinking cow’s milk in The New England Journal of Medicine. In the study, the researchers analyzed the relationship between milk consumption and the risk of fracture, cardiovascular disease, allergies, and cancer. “The basis of calcium recommendations is, I think, fundamentally flawed in the United States,” Willett said.
Read the WebMD.com article: Rethinking Milk: Science Takes on the Dairy Dilemma